Thursday, October 31, 2013

From Italy comes the news of the death of stage, TV and voice
actor Antonio Guidi, born in Ferrara October 28, 1927 who passed away on
Thursday, October 17 in Milan, Loimbardy, Italy. He was 86.

Guidi, who had won the award Noce d’orofor Best Young Actor , he graduatedwith a degree in architecture in 1951, then
for two years he attended the acting school of the Piccolo Teatro in Milan,
directed by Giorgio Strehler, and after four seasons in the glorious theater
scene in central St. Erasmus in Milan he dedicated his career to dubbing.

Guidi was known as the Italian voice of such actors as
Peter Ustinov, Peter Falk, Redd Fox among

others.

Antonio was active during the Golden Age of the Spaghetti
Western and I’ve listed his known credits

Jed Trigado is an extravagant lone outlaw, who only
steals from the rich and hidesout in Bandera, Mexico, with the peaceful Somillo
Indian tribe. His biggest enemy is Sheriff Franciscus, who is determined to
avenge the defeat suffered at the hands of Jed who managed to escape from his
prison after killing many men. Sonny is a great admirer of Jed and wants to
work with him. The insistence of the girl, and the pressure of Franciscus,
forces the reluctant Jed to accept her and after a few robberies taken together
and they get married and then rob the minister. Franciscus, still in pursuit
the outlaw couple demand from the sheriff a promise, in addition to a sizeable
reward, amnesty for all their crimes. But this strategy is unsuccessful and
they escape during a fire set in a barn which results in the blindness of
Sheriff Franciscus. Now emboldened, Sonny and Jed present themselves at the
banquet of Garcia Moreno and his wife, Linda, during which Jed kidnaps the lady
and takes her to Bandera. Sonny becomes jealous of Linda and allows Sheriff
Franciscus to enter Jed’s hideout. Jed is wounded by him and Sonny, nurses him
back on his feet, and forces her husband to follow her in a state of
subservience, treating him like a slave which is how Jed treated Sonny at the
beginning of their relationship.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

William J. Campbell was
born on October 30, 1923, Newark, New Jersey. Campbell received his acting
training at the American Theater Wing. In 1952 he married Judith Immoor, as Ms.
Exner was then known, who was 18 at the time; they divorced in 1958. She took
up with Frank Sinatra, through whom she met President Kennedy and the Chicago
mob boss Sam Giancana, who also became her lover. Campbell's film career began
in 1950, with a small part in the John Garfield film, “The Breaking Point”.
After several years of similar supporting performances in a number of films,
including as a co-pilot in William Wellman's “The High and the Mighty” (1954),
he won his first starring role in “Cell 2455 Death Row” (1955), based on the
memoir by the convict Caryl Chessman. His film credits include “Man Without a Star,” (1955) directed by King
Vidor, “Love Me Tender,” (1956), Elvis Presley’s first picture, “Dementia 13”
(1963), directed by Francis Ford Coppola; and “Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte”
(1964) directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Bette Davis and Olivia de
Havilland.

In 1959 Campbell made his
only appearance in a Euro-western as Keno in “The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw”,
with Kenneth More and Jayne Mansfield.

Campbell was a constant
presence on 1950s and 1960s TV obtaining cult status for his guest starring
roles on Star Trek, appearing first as the mischievous super-being Trelane, in
an episode of the original series called "The Squire of Gothos"
(1967). Campbell also appeared twice as the Klingon Captain Koloth. He reprised
the role on the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode entitled "Blood
Oath", some thirty years later. Campbell appeared at several Trek
conventions in the 1980s and 1990s and many Star Trek fans consider Campbell's
portrayal of the Trelane character as the first introduction of the "Q
culture" to the series.

In later years, Mr.
Campbell worked as the chief fund-raiser for the Motion Picture &
Television Fund. Campbell died at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills,
California on April 28, 2011.

Today we remember William
Campbell on what would have been his 90th birthday.

Xan das Bolas
was born Tomás Ares Pena on October 30, 1908 in ACaruña, Galicia, Spain.He started his acting career in the theater in the
early 1930's as a comedian and actor in variety shows. After the Spanish Civil
War, he began his film career with “Salome” (1940).

He chose the
stage name of Xan das Bolas which is an expression in the Galician language,
which means 'John, the one of the tales'.

In the
following years he became a supporting actor with an extensive career in
Spanish cinema. His filmography exceeds two hundred titles and he worked under
some of the most distinguished local filmmakers such as Florian Rey, Luis
Lucia, José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, Juan de Orduna, Luis García Berlanga and
Juan Antonio Bardem.

On television
he worked on the series ‘Crónicas de un pueblo’ (1971) and co-starring with
Fernando Fernan Gomez in ‘El Pícaro’ (1974).

Xan appeared
in over 25 Euro-westerns from “The Coyote” in 1955 to “Spaghetti Western” in
1975, usually playing small roles as hotel clerks, shop owners, barman and
townsman and farmers.

Xan das Bolas
died in Madrid, Spain on October 13, 1977.

Today we
remember Xan das Bolas on what would have been his 105th birthday.

Werner
Röwekamp was born on October 30, 1928 in Rostock, Mecklenburg Vorpommern,
Germany. He was an actor, writer and
director known by a large German audience for his appearances in DEFA films and
German television.

After
World War II he took lessons at a drama school and at the Conservatory of
Rostock and there he made his debut at the then Kabarett Distel in Neustrelitz
and Potsdam, eventually becoming a permanent director at DFF. Röwekamp also
worked as an actor in film and television and directed numerous DFF television
episodes of series ‘Police 110’ and ‘Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort’. He made
his only Euro-western appearance in the 1969 DEFA film “Fatal Error” in the
part of Elmer Guiness. He was married to actress Traute Sense until his death
on April 3, 1982 in Kleinmachnow, Potsdam Mittelmark, Brandenburg, Germany.

Today
we remember Werner Röwekamp on what would have been his 85th
birthday.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

British stage, film and television actor Nigel Davenport
died in England on October 25th. He was 85. He was born Arthur Nigel
Davenport on May 23, 1928 in Shelford, Cambridgeshire, England, U.K. Davenport
first appeared on stage at the Savoy Theatre and then with the Shakespeare
Memorial Company, before joining the English Stage Company at the Royal Court
Theatre in the 1960s and was a founding member of the English Stage Company. He
began appearing in British film and television productions in supporting roles,
including a walk-on in Tony Richardson's film, “Look Back in Anger” (1959).
Subsequent roles included a theatre manager opposite Laurence Olivier in the
film version of “The Entertainer” and a policeman in Michael Powell's “Peeping
Tom” (both 1960). Davenport retired from acting at the turn of the 21st century
when he could no longer memorize lines from scripts. Nigel appeared in two
Euro-westerns “Charley One-Eye” in 1972 as the bounty hunter and later in 1997
in “The Return of El Coyote” as Félix de Echagüe. Married twice he leaves three
children Hugo a journalist, actress Laura Davenport with his first wife,
Helena, and the actor Jack Davenport with his second, Maria Aitken.

Monday, October 28, 2013

María
del Rosario López Piñuelas was born on October 28, 1943 in Salamanca, Castilla
y León, Spain. After having studied philosophy and psychology Maria went to the
"Escuela Oficial de Cinematografia de Madrid" and studied
interpretation. Known professionally as CharoLópez,
the first part of her filmography was mainly made by young directors until she
was discovered by Gonzalo Suárezfor "Diatrambo”
(1967) with whom she worked again once in a while after that. In Spain she
became famous for the television series "Gozos y las Sombras, Los"
(1981) as "Morena Alba".

López
has appeared in over 95 film and television appearances since her first TV
appearance in “Los encuentros” (1967) until her most recent appearance in “Contra
el cristal” (2012) among her films were three Euro-westerns: “Dead Men Ride”
(1970) as Jessica, “The Bandit Malpelo” (1971) as Lupe and “Eh? Who’s Afraid of
Zorro” (1975) as Rosita Florenda.

Valeria
Fabrizi was born on October 28, 1938 in Verona, Veneto, Italy. Valeria became a
film actress through her participation in several beauty pageants among which
was the Miss Universe contest in 1957 (where he finished fourth). Her film
debut came in 1954 with a small role in the comedy movie “Ridere! Ridere!
Ridere!”. Since the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s she starred in over forty films.
Valeria appeared in two Euro-western films: “Ringo and His Golden Pistol” (1966)
as Margie and “The 4 Gunmen of the Holy Trinity” (1970) as Adeline Martinez.

She began
working in television in 1964, beside her husband actor Tata Giacobetti
[1922-1988] whom she had married in 1964 and who was a member of the singing group
‘Quartetto Cetra’. She appeared in such TV films as “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”
and “The Story of Scarlett O'Hara” as part of the Library of Studio One, and
later in the musical comedy ‘Don’t Sing Shoot’ TV western ( 1968). The
following year she showed up on, ‘A che gioco
giochiamo?’ a popular quiz show of the era. This was followed, in the 1970s,
with appearances in several police series, including ‘Un certo Harry Brent’ (
1970) and ‘Qui squadra mobile’ (1973). In 1981 she appeared in the cast of the
drama for television ‘Dopo vent'anni’, directed by MarioFoglietti.

In the 1990a,
she participated in several television dramas, including ‘Linda e il brigadiere 2’ and ‘Sei forte maestro’. In
2004, she starred onstage in the comedy Pygmalion (My Fair Lady) , while on the
television she stepped into ‘Tournée’ a program that was the brainchild of Marianella
Bargilli with the intention to bring drama to television. At the end of 2007
Fabrizi appeared in the TV series ‘Un posto al sole’, on Rai 3 and in 2009 and
starred in the drama ‘Tutti per Bruno’.

In 2011 she
was back on TV in the fiction of ‘Raiuno Che
Dio ci aiuti’ Rai 1 starring alongside Elena Sofia Ricci. The following year
Pupi Avati chose her for his new work entitled ‘Un Matrimonio’
for television, along with Micaela Ramazzotti, Andrea Roncato and Christian De
Sica.

Marcel
Louis Edouard Bozzuffi was born on October 28, 1928 in Renes, Rennes Île- et
Vilaine, Bretagne, France. A stage, screen and TV actor Bozzuffi appeared in
over 90 films and TV appearances. Often he was confined to roles of
"evil" which he gave a dark and ominous tone. Bozzuffi also wrote and
directed a film ( The American in 1969 ), three films and a collection of short
stories ( Forfana - Stories , published posthumously in 1990). Bozzuffi appeared
in only one Euro-western as Maral in 1973’s “Chino” with Charles Bronson.

He
also can be heard as a voice dubber for such actors as Paul Newman and Charles
Bronson. He was also the voice of Lucky Luke in “Daisy Town” (1971).

In
1963, he married actress Françoise Fabian, with whom he remained until his
death on February 2, 1988 in Paris, following a brain hemorrhage.

Today
we remember Marcel Bozzuffi on what would have been his 85th
birthday.

Ernesta ‘Tina’ De Mola was
born on October 28, 1923 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Driven by her family she
attended school and began to cultivate a passion for singing. In 1941 she won a
competition for new voices that lead to performing in vaudeville in which she
increasingly appeared in musical roles and is exposed to the public as a singer.

Tina then was given her own
TV show by RAI in 1956. She then joined a theater company where she met Renato
Rascel who later became her husband. As a couples she performs with him in the
film “Pazzo d'amore” (1942) and then follows in numerous films such as “Quanto
è possibile”, “Il ragno d'oro” and “Allegretto”. In 1945 he also participates
in “Settenote” along with the Nava Sisters.

In the theatrical season
1946/47 she returns to work with her husband in “Cominciò con Caino e Abele” by
Michael Galdieri and then “Il cielo è tornato sereno” from which she sings the
song ‘Poison’.

In 1948 he joined the cast
of the show “Oklabama” by Mario Amendola with Erminio Macario and then joined
the company of Ugo Tognazzi making his debut with the show “Quel treno si
chiama desiderio” by Giovanni D'Anzi . Working in Germany in a German version
of “Buondì zia Margherita” before heading out on a tour in Mexico with the play
“Carnival of Venice”. She then quits the company starting a tour of South
America with a show of songs that will take her to Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia
.

In 1954 he returned to
Italy where she reunites with the now ex-husband Renato Rascel to appear in the
films “Attanasio cavallo vanesio” and “Alvaro piuttosto corsaro”. In 1959 she
appeared in her only Euro-western “The Sheriff” as Dolly.

She then moved onto
television and appears in show which are reminiscent from her theater revues.

De Mola died on April 18,
2012 in Rome.

Today we remember Tina De
Mola on what would have been her 90th birthday.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Russian Drama Theatre of Lithuania announced the passing of Edward Murashova - actor, director, artist on October 25th in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Edward V. was born August 15, 1938 in Lithuania. In 1968 he graduated
from the Higher Theatre School of Boris Shchukin. He played in the Kalinin
Youth Theatre and Tula Drama Theatre. He also appeared in several films including one TV Euro-western: 'Zveroboy' in 1990 as Tom Hutter. A Russian telling of "The Last of the Mohicans".

In Mexico, at the time of the Emperor Maximilian, lives a
young nobleman Don Ricardo Villaverde, cynically in love. The twists and turns
in the aristocrats behavior are provoked by sudden appearances of the son of
Zorro, a masked supporter of the rebels and engaged in collecting aid for the
revolution. A load of weapons is being shipped to the Alcalde of San Ramon, Don
Herrera Coser, but a rebel, Garincha, is aware of the shipment and attacks the
convoy and Don Coser is killed, while his daughter Donna Conchita manages to
escape and hide with the help of the son of Zorro and he falls in love with
her. Meanwhile, the weapons are taken into possession by the rebels and now
armed the peons and a revolution begins, the Governor and his wife are forced
to flee. Having accomplished his mission, the Son of Zorro gallops toward the
house where Conchita is living, unhappily married to Don Ricardo Villaverde and
discloses to her his true identity.

David
Bailey was born on October 27, 1933 in Newark, New Jersey. Bailey enlisted in
the Air Force at 16 and served for eight years in Japan as a drill sergeant. After
separating from the military, he settled in Delaware for a brief time. There he
met actor Robert Mitchum, who encouraged Mr. Bailey to go to New York and
pursue an acting career. While auditioning for acting jobs, he paid the bills
by working as an electrician and plumber. He had a lengthy career in theater
and television as a playwright, director and actor, perhaps his best known role
being Dr. Russ Matthews on the long-running daytime soap ‘Another World’
(1973–1978, 1979–1981, 1989, 1992).

Bailey
appeared in over 30 films and TV appearances among which was one Euro-western
“Up the MacGregors” (1967) replacing Robert Woods in the role of Gregor
MacGregor to the sequel of “Guns for the MacGregors”. Later he became “The
Mitchum Man,” the sexy spokesman for Mitchum deodorant, and sold Maxwell House
coffee and Suave shampoo in TV commercials.

On
November 25, 2004, Bailey drowned in the pool at his home in Los Angeles,
California. He was 71 years old.

Today
we remember David Bailey on what would have been his 80th birthday.

Bruno Carstens was born on
October 26, 1918 in Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony, Germany. – He grew up in
Hamburg and actually wanted to become a sea captain, and spent four years at
sea and was a sailor at the beginning of World War II. He was captured by the
Russians and spent the war in Soviet captivity. He made his debut as an actor
during the captivity on the stage of the prison camp near Karaganda (U.S.S.R.).

After his return from captivity
Bruno studied for a year at the Deutsches Theater in Weimar Institute. After
exposure in Weimar, Leipzig and Brandenburg / Havel, he finally moved in 1959
to Berlin and became a member of the the Berliner Ensemble.

During the 1950's along
with his theater work he appeared in numerous film and television productions
sometimes in the capacity of assistant director.. Carstens was often seen in DEFA
film in supporting roles. He appeared in five Euro-western DEFA films from
“Fatal Error” (1969) as McLaurin to “The Long Ride from School” in 1981.

He received bigger roles in
East German television broadcasts such as Captain Wernicke in the ‘Blue Light
series, 1959-68, and in 1962’s ‘Temple of Satan’. Later he appeared mainly in
smaller roles such as various guest appearances on "Police 110".

Carstens was married to
actressIseult Kilian [1924–1986] from
1965-1986.

Bruno Carstens died in Saalfield,
Thuringia, Germany on October 30, 2001.

Today we remember Bruno
Carstens on what would have been his 95th birthday.

Stuart James Byrne
was born on October 26, 1913 in St. Paul, Minnesota. At the age of twelve, he
moved with his family to California. In his teen years, he developed an interest
in science fiction and became an avid amateur astronomer.

In the 1930s, he
married Joey and fathered two children, Richard and Joanne. He earned an M.A.
at UCLA and then published his first science fiction story, entitled
"Music of the Spheres" in Amazing Stories in 1935. In the 1940s and
1950s, Byrne had stories published in Science Stories, Amazing Stories,
Imagination Magazine, and Other Worlds Magazine. He published under his own
name and the pseudonyms Rothayne Amare, John Bloodstone, Howard Dare, and Marx
Kaye.

He was especially
noted as the creator of Michael Flanagan, the hero of three stories that appeared
in Amazing Stories: The Land Beyond the
Lens, The Golden Gods, and The Return of Michael Flannigan, all
credited to his alias John Bloodstone.

As a screenwriter,
Byrne wrote for the ‘Men into Space’ TV show 1959-1960. He received credit for
the story of the 1971 film called "The Deserter" as well as the
original story and screenplay for the 1972 film "The Doomsday
Machine". According to Bleiler and Bleiler, he was also a screenwriter for
the 1975 film “Journey into Fear”.

Stuart J. Byrne died
on September 23, 2011 in Ojai, California.

Today we remember
Stuart J. Byrne on what would have been his 100th birthday.

Richard Häußler was born on October 26, 1908 in Munich,
Bavaria, Germany. After acting lessons in Munich, he made ​​his debut in 1926
in Nuremberg. He then acted not only at the Munich Kammerspielen, but also in
Stettin, Hamburg and at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. From 1935 to 1938 he
was part of the ensemble at the Schauspielhaus in Munich.

In 1935, he made ​​his film debut, where he participated
in minor and sometimes major roles in films of all genres. Haussler usually
played cultured men, whether as lovers or superiors as foresters, doctors or
lawyers or as a crime boss in the Edgar Wallace film “Zimmer 13”. He also
directed several films. Häußler appeared in only one Euro-western “$5,000 on
One Ace” (1964) as Attorney Dundee.

Häußler, who continued to act until the end of his life
at various theater stages in Germany, was married to the actress Maria
Andergast [1912-1995] from 1958 until his death on September 28, 1964

in Grünwald,
Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

Today we remember Richard Häußler on what would have been
his 105th birthday.

Jean
Paul Arthur Hamman was born on October 26, 19883 in Paris, France.He became
the French equivalent of the American cowboy in a long ranging career from 1907
to 1967. He was also an affluent film director.

We
generally associate the western with American cinema, but in the early years
there were European westerns too. Joë Hamman was the epitome of the French
western, often filmed in the Camargue, South of France. His father was a Dutch
expert in painting, his mother a former lady’s companion of empress Eugénie.
Hamman studied in Paris and London before going to Art School in Paris. He
became a sketcher and a noted water colorist, but he chose a different career.
When Jean was six, the circus of Buffalo Bill Cody came to Paris, but young
Hamman was not allowed to go. He had to wait until he was 21 to meet Cody, when
in 1904 his father took him on a business trip to America. Hamman and Cody met
privately, became friends, and Hamman visited Cody’s North Plate house in
Nebraska, meeting the extras of Cody’s wild west show, and drawing water colors
for local rangers. At a ranch in Montana Jean Hamman learned to ride, and was
employed as a cowboy, and learned to break and gather horses. He also visited
the Pine Ridge reservation in Dakota, and met Spotted Tail, war lieutenant of
Indian Chief Red Cloud, who presented him with a buckskin war costume. In the
Fall of 1904 he returned to Paris to do his military service. When in 1905
Cody’s circus came to Europe, Hamman was invited to join and participated in
the French tour of Buffalo Bill and was billed as Joë Hamman.

In
1907 Hamman started out as both actor and director of “Le desperado”, followed
by performances in some 40 other short westerns until early 1914. He made mostly
short westerns with Gaumont Productions, often directed by Jean Durand, who
from 1910 on specialized in the genre at Gaumont, though some were also shot by
Léonce Perret. Often Hamman’s antagonist in the Gaumont westerns was the actor
Gaston Modot. Hamman also directed 10 early shorts himself, in different
genres, such as “L’ile d’épouvante” (“The Island of Terror”) (1911) and the
western “La ville souterraine” (“The Subterranean City”) (1913) for the Eclipse
company.

During
the First World War, his film acting and directing came to a halt.

When
sound cinema came in, Hamman had a comeback and was a lead in several French
early sound films. When France got involved in the Second World War Hamman
himself faced destiny of nomore film roles during the war. After the war,
Hamman played in an uncredited role as general Kellermann in Sacha Guitry’s “Napoléon”
(1955). His last performance was an uncredited part in “Pop’s Game” (Francis
Leroi 1967).

Joë
Hamman died in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France on June 30, 1974.

Today
we remember Joë Hamman on what would have been his 130th birthday.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Antonia Bird, who directed the 1999 cannibalism Euro-western horror
pic “Ravenous,” died Thursday October 24, 2013 in London after an illness. She was 62.

The British helmer born in London on May 27, 1951 was known for directing films including
“Priest,” “Mad Love,” and “Face.” Her close friend and frequent collaborator
Robert Carlyle starred in several of her movies. Her films are renowned for
their socially-conscious themes. Bird’s first feature, 1994′s “Priest,” was
heavily criticized by the Catholic Church. She won a BAFTA for the “Safe”
episode of the series “Screenplay” and another for “Care.”

She began her career at the Royal Court Theatre before
venturing to the small screen in the mid-1980s with “EastEnders.” She later
directed TV shows such as “Cracker,” “MI-5″ and “Casualty.”

Hal Needham, a stuntman who dazzled Hollywood for years
before directing such Burt Reynolds films as Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball
Run, died in Los Angeles, California today October 25, 2013. He was 82.

As a stunt performer and coordinator, Needham has worked
on more than 30 films, including The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), How the West
Was Won (1962), Little Big Man (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974) and Chinatown
(1974). The co-founder of Stunts Unlimited and a mentor to young stunt
performers, he earned the Academy’s Scientific and Engineering Award in 1986
for the design and development of the Shotmaker Elite camera car and crane,
which allows filmmakers greater versatility in shooting action sequences.

Born Harold Brett Needham on March 6, 1931 in Memphis,
Tennessee, Needham said that during the course of roughly 300 movies and 4,500
television episodes, he broke 56 bones, including his back twice, punctured a
lung, dislocated a shoulder and knocked out a bunch of teeth.

Hal appeared in two Euro-westerns: “100 Hundred Rifles”
(1969) as a stuntman and “Take a Hard Ride” (1975) as Garmes and performed
stunts and was a second unit director.

Bill James is just a child when his father, Jesse James,
is assassinated by his cousin Bob Ford. Twenty years later, Bill James, who is
the mirror image of his father, rides away from Missouri, to avoid the hatred
caused by his father’s death. At Three Star ranch, owned by Dorothy, Bill is
hired as a ranch hand. He enjoys the quiet farm work but not for long, because
soon he becomes involved in the persecution that the farm and the girl suffer
at the hands of Marshall, a bully stock breeder. The first clashes between
Marshall and Bill do not lead to any solution, but Bill, indicted for the
murder of a man, is forced to flee. Meanwhile he develops a suspicion that
Marshall and his murderous uncle are the same person, and when his suspicions
are confirmed he returns to the town and challenges and kills Bob Ford .

Orso Maria Guerrini was born on October 25, 1943 in
Florence, Tuscany, Italy. He is the brother of actress Ilaria Guerrini and became
known to the general public in 1970 when he was chosen to play the lead in “E
le stelle stanno a guardare” by director Anton Giulio Majano. He then starred
in dozens of films for the cinema and television, as well as having done voice
dubbing.

Orso has also worked in advertising for several years and
is the face of the famous Moustache of Birra Moretti. He is the narrator of
General Jose Börjes in the show “La Storia Bandita”, which tells the story of
the brigand Carmine Crocco and which is held every year in Brindisi di Montagna
(Potenza).

Guerrini has appeared in five Euro-westerns from “My Name
is Pecos” with Robert Woods to his best remembered role as Butch Shannon on
1976’s “Keoma”. Once married to actress Catherine Spaak [1945- ], he is married
to actress Cristina Sebastianelli.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Spaghetti Western composer playing Los Angeles and New
York in March 2014.

Legendary film composer Ennio Morricone will bring some
of his most iconic works to life for two concerts in the U.S. next year. As BrooklynVegan
points out, the 84-year-old will play Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live
on March 20, and then he'll take over Brooklyn's Barclays Center on March 23.
Both performances will feature the Italian maestro facing off with a 200-member
orchestra and choir.

Despite Morricone's long history with Hollywood — he's
been nominated for five Academy Awards for Best Original Score, and in 2007, he
received an Honorary Oscar for his career achievements — the upcoming L.A. gig
will be his first-ever West Coast concert. He made his live-debut in the U.S.
just a few years ago, in 2007, with a performance at New York City's Radio City
Music Hall. That milestone came after Morricone had built a decades-deep body
of work, marked by collaborations with filmmakers such as Sergio Leone, Brian
De Palma, Oliver Stone, Barry Levinson, and Warren Beatty.

More recently, Morricone made headlines for his overblown
beef with director Quentin Tarantino, who used some of the composer's work
(including one original song) in his 2012 film, the spaghetti
Western-meets-American-slavery epic Django Unchained.

Tickets for the upcoming shows in L.A. and NYC go on sale
October 25, 2013. Tickets are priced from $45 go on sale Friday, October 25 at
10am through AXS.com, and by phone at (888) 929-7849. Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE
is located at 777 Chick Hearn Ct., Los Angeles, CA 90015. For more information
please visit enniomorricone-usa-2014.com or Nokia Theatre http://www.nokiatheatrelalive.com/The concert is presented by Massimo Gallotta
Productions and AEG and also will be scheduled in New York at Barclays Center
Cushman and Wakefield Theatre on March 23, 2014. http://www.barclayscenter.com/events

Claudio Biava [pictured front right] was born
Claudio Biavati in Italy. He had a film career from 1955 to 1972 where he
appeared in over 30 films as a supporting and character actor. Among which he’s
remembered for his appearances in “Metellus” (1970) by Mauro Bolognini where he
played the part of Nardini. During his career he appeared in four Euro-westerns
from “Ramon the Mexican” in 1966 to “A Stranger in Paso Bravo” in 1968. After
1972 he left the industry and his whereabouts are unknown.

Johnny Ketchum is the son of notorious gunfighter Ace
Ketchum, and he is search of the man who killed his mother. His search brings
him in contact with Deputy Mace Fenton, who wants to collect the $10,000 reward
on Ace Ketchum's head, a wealthy landowner named Don Pedro Fortuna and his
daughter Pilar; and Juan Morales, a Mexican bandit terrorizing the territory.
Before finishing his quest, Johnny finds love, learns family secrets, and
fights with the Morales gang.

Carlo Monni
was born on October 23, 1943 in Campi Bisenzio, Florence, Italy. He debuted in
shows in clubs and festivals in the Florence area. During one of these
occasions he had the chance to meet Roberto Benigni, with whom he formed a long
artistic and personal friendship. In 1976, Benigni Monni appeared on Rai 2: the
two comedians pretended to disturb the frequencies of RAI with an imaginary TV.

In 1978 he
appeared in a program by Roberto Benigni, “Vita da Cioni”.
From 1978 onwards he starred in several films that made him famous, among which
were Berlinguer’s “Ti voglio bene di Giuseppe Bertolucci”. During his career he
had the opportunity to work for many directors such as Marco Ferreri, Sergio
Citti, Massimo Troisi, Mario Monicelli, Carlo Lizzani, Pupi Avati, Kayleigh and
Paul Virzi. In 1987 he was called by Daniele Luchetti for the film “Domani
accadrà”, but had to refuse because of a commitment to theater work. He was
noted for his 1984 role of "Vitellozzo", alongside Roberto Benigni
and Massimo Troisi. In 1973 Monni appeared in his only Euro-western “For a Book
of Dollars” as the dentist.

Very rare,
however, were his appearances on television, a means of communication that he
did not care for. In 1986 he refused to participate in a work with Renzo Arbore,
while in the last years of his life he participated as a guest star, always at
the side of his friend Massimo Ceccherini on - the program Stracult. He appeared in over 100 plays, including in
1998 the play of Ceccherini “Tutti questo è uno spettacolo” in the role of
Mastro Geppetto. Carlo Monni loved to indulge in free versification in the
Tuscan tradition.

He died in
Florence on May 19, 2013 at age 69.

Today we
remember Carlo Monni on what would have been his 70th birthday

Alida Rustichelli was born
in Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, Italy on October 23, 1943. The daughter of film
composer and conductor Carlo Rustichelli [1916-2004], sister of the composer
Paolo Rustichelli [1953-], she began
in her youth as a singer, participating in television variety shows and
comedies.

She became well known with
her version of the song “Sinno me moro”, which opens the film “Un maledetto
imbroglio” (The Facts of Murder) with a soundtrack composed by her father in
1959: in the years that followed the song became a classic Italian song in the
Roman dialect, and was recorded by Lando Fiorini and Gabriella Ferri paired
with Luisa De Santis and later as a solo. During this period, Alida Chelli also
recorded "Se è vero amore”.

She went on to star in many
films and on stage, often singing, as in the musical “Quando dico che ti amo”
and musical comedies such as Rugantino, in 1978, alongside Enrico Montesano and
Cyrano, in 1979, with Domenico Modugno in “Aggiungi un posto a tavola”, in 1990
with Johnny Dorelli. She appeared in her only Euro-western “Three Silver
Dollars” as Jauna in 1968.

Alida was married to actor
Walter Chiari [1924-1991] from 1969-1981 and they had a son, the actor Simone
Annichiarico [1970-], after their
divorce, Chelli married Count Agusta and subsequently had been linked for some
time to Pippo Baudo .

After a long illness she
died in Rome on December 14, 2012 at the age of 69 years old.

Today we remember Alida
Chelli on what would have been her 70th birthday.

About Me

Born in Toledo, Ohio in 1946 I have a BA degree in American History from Cal St. Northridge. I've been researching the American West and western films since the early 1980s and visiting filming sites in Spain and the U.S.A. Elected a member of the Spaghetti Western Hall of Fame 2010.